CHICAGO — The Early Exposures summer photography class held its end-of-summer exhibition last Friday, but one of its students — 10-year-old Tavon Tanner — wasn't there to show off his work.
Earlier that week, Tavon had been shot in his back while sitting on his front porch with his family.
Now the course's instructors are selling photo prints from the class — including some taken by Tavon himself — to help pay for his surgeries and recovery.
"We were trying to think of a way to support his family through this, and we thought using his own work seemed like a great way to do that," said Alexis Ellers, one of the instructors in the program.
Ellers wrote in a Facebook post that Tavon's condition was "improving but is still serious."
Once a week, the students were given point-and-shoot cameras and let loose in different spots around the city for practice, Ellers said. The photos were published on the program's blog.
Ellers described Tavon as "a leader" in the class who "other boys looked up to," and who was "always excited to see his photos go up online."
The prints are being sold until the end of August, Ellers said, and range in price between $10 and $30 depending on the size.
Last week, a GoFundMe page was also set up to help raise money for Tavon's family.
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